Okija Community Defends Deity
From Charles Onyekamuo in Awka
The Okija community in Ihiala council area of Anambra state, at the weekend rose in stout defence of the Ogwugwu-Akpu and Ogwugwu-isiula deities saying the ministers of the shrines and their adherents were merely exercising their rights to the constitutionally enshrined freedom of religion.
The police had recenlty raided Okija shrines and discovered human skulls and headless bodies.
In a press conference entittled; "Okija: The truth about it all, as presented by Okija royal cabinet", and addressed by Igwe B.B.I Okeke (The Igwe Elect) Ezege-degwum IV of Okija, the people said the deities had existed among them for ages and worshipped by a section of the people of Umuhu and Ubahu-Ezike villages.
The Igwe-elect said Okija had "Ogwugwu" in common and that nothing like "Ogwugwu Okija exists.
Rather, he said that the Ogwugwu-Akpu is worshipped by Ubahuezike and Ogwugwu Isi-ula by Umuhu people.
"It is equally true that not all Umuhu people worship Ogwugwu-Isiula, and not all Ubahu-Ezike worship Ogwugwu-Akpu. You need to know that these deities have all existed for many years and are as old as the villages themselves.
"The tradition of the worship of these deities is that the eldest (Okpala) in the village who is a pagan becomes the chief priest. People go to the shrine for settlement of their cases because of the immediate and constant justice they received from the shrines. It is because of these, that people from far and wide go there for justice on their personal decision.
"It is true that the greater majority of the visitors and customers of these shrines come from outside Okija. If after the settlement of a case and the culprit finally dies, it is reported to the chief priest who allows the corpse to be brought and thrown into the shrine bush or forest, buried or left just like that by the relations of the dead person.
"Some of the skulls discovered from the shrines could be older than all those who are now claimed to be the priests of the shrines", he said.He added that the Ogwugwu kills the offender who swears by it, including those who are the owners and worshippers.
The traditional ruler-elect said that nobody had reported to the Okija royal cabinet that either the cheif priests or their agents killed any of their people; adding that the potency of Ogwugwu's power to kill it's victims is never challenged and for that reason the royal cabinet never bothered.
The traditional ruler took exception over the way the police raided the shrines and the stories therefrom which he said painted the entire Okija community as idol worshippers, murderers, and cannibals, saying that 99.5% of Okija population are Christians.
Although the Christians in Okija know about the pagan shrines in the villages of Ubahu-Ezike and Umuhu and the corpses thrown into the evil forests, as part of traditional religious worship which is allowed by the constitution. "If we intervene, we whould be meddling into their freedom. Their signboards are all over the places, the police, the judiciary and those in authority see them and do nothing. I think they get their registration from them", he said.
He called on the police to expedite their investigation into the cases of the arrested priests and agents of Ogwugwu with fairness and honesty and if discovered that "people worship Ogwugwu-Akpu and Ogwugwu-Isiula in the traditional manner as their own religion, they should be left to be converted by the persuasive christian religion"
"On the other hand", he said, "If along the line, it is discovered that any person or group of persons go against any law of the land, we shall not hesitate to say the law should take its course in dealing with them". He added that the Okija customs and traditions advocates and insist on fairness and justice, as well as respect for human life and cannot condone evil.
|
